Research Symposium

BIO

Hansini Reddy is a second-year Biomedical Sciences major at Florida State University and a member of the Honors Medical Scholars Program. She works as a research assistant in the Joiner Lab under the mentorship of Sara Prostko, contributing to research based on the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide developed by Thomas Joiner.

In the lab, she studies decision-making in virtual reality models related to suicide risk. Her project focuses on how factors like perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness may affect how long it takes individuals to make decisions in simulated scenarios. Through this, she helps examine patterns in decision-making that may contribute to a better understanding of suicide risk.

Her interest in psychiatry comes from personal, pre-professional, and academic experiences, including her work in mental health research and her exposure to patient care through volunteering at Big Bend Hospice. She plans to attend medical school and pursue psychiatry.

Predicting Decision Latency in Suicide-Related Virtual Reality: The Role of Perceived Burdensomeness, Thwarted Belongingness, and Capability

Abstract

Suicide remains a leading cause of death worldwide, with complex and multifactorial psychological contributors. The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (ITS) posits that a combination of perceived burdensomeness (PB), thwarted belongingness (TB), and capability for suicide are necessary for a lethal or near-lethal suicide attempt to occur. The present study utilized virtual reality (VR) to examine whether the ITS predicts decision latency during suicide-related VR scenarios. After providing informed consent, participants (n = 39) completed surveys assessing ITS constructs. Then, participants completed four VR suicide scenarios randomized by a Latin balance design. In each scenario, participants chose between a suicide-related option and a neutral alternative, and reaction time was recorded. We hypothesized that higher capability would predict shorter decision times, that higher PB and TB would predict longer decision times for non-suicide choices, and that capability would remain predictive when accounting for PB and TB. Linear regression analyses, including stepwise models, indicated that none of these relationships reached statistical significance. These findings were preliminary and may have been underpowered due to sample size and incomplete data. Further research should increase sample size and control for possible confounding variables such as prior VR experience and demographic differences. Despite these largely non-significant findings, this study demonstrates that VR can be used to measure objective behavioral decision-making processes in suicide-related contexts. The findings also represent a continued need to investigate decision latency as a potential marker for mechanisms involved in the transition from suicidal ideation to behavior.

Keywords: Suicide risk; Virtual reality (VR); Decision making; Behavioral measurement